The present invention relates generally to ambulatory devices for individuals who have lost the use of their legs. More particularly, the invention relates to the design and construction of a prone stander having a mobile frame and an inclinable body support which allows the user to move between a vertical or standing position and a forwardly inclined position. The invention provides improvements over the mobile prone stander disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 256,343 filed Oct. 11, 1988, abandoned, continuing application 492,272 filed Mar. 7, 1990 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,050 on Nov. 6, 1990, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
Numerous devices have been developed over the years to enable persons who have lost use of their legs to obtain some degree of mobility. The most familiar device, of course, is the wheelchair where the user, in a sitting position, is able to move by manually rotating a pair of large drive wheels on either side of the seat frame.
Although vastly successful, wheelchairs alone are not able to provide for all needs of the immobilized individual. In many instances, an immobilized person will desire to move about in a generally standing position, which is not possible with most wheelchairs. Additionally, it is frequently desirable to have the ability to lean or incline forward, a capability provided by few, if any, wheelchairs.
To provide these additional capabilities, devices referred to as mobile prone standers have been developed. Generally, these devices comprise a mobile frame having a pair of large drive wheels similar to those seen on conventional wheelchairs. Rather than having a seat for the user, however, the mobile prone stander will include an inclinable body support frame or platform where the user is strapped in a standing position facing the body support frame. The body support frame is able to incline about an axis located relatively near the axis of the main drive wheels so that the user is able to reach the main drive wheels regardless of the position of the support frame. Thus, the user is able to move about while in the standing or any other position. Such mobile prone standers are particularly useful for developmentally disabled children who benefit from an increased ability to explore their surroundings, which is unavailable with conventional wheelchairs.
Previous designs for mobile prone standers, however, have suffered from certain disadvantages. In particular, there has never been a mobile prone stander which incorporated a tilt in space positioning chair which moves between upright and reclined positions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,319 to Fogg, Jr. shows a wheelchair designed to enable the user to move between sitting and standing positions. It is not, however, a prone stander. U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,578 to Stearns discloses a prone stander with a removable seat. The seat, because of its positioning above the rear caster wheels, tends to make the apparatus somewhat unstable. Also, such seat, being stationary, can only be used in an upright manner and is therefore not a tilt in space positioning seat.